DECATUR — Under cloudy skies with humid conditions, Stuart Lamp and Perla Núñez took top honors in the annual Spirit of America 5-Mile Saturday morning at Point Mallard Park.
Lamp, of Decatur, defended his title with a sizzling 29:38 to win by almost five minutes. That was slightly faster than his winning time in 2023.
Núñez, of Huntsville, nabbed top honors in the women’s division with a hot time of 43:52. She was second in the division last year, and six seconds faster this year in 18th place. Elizabeth Whitaker of Scottsboro was about 45 seconds back for second place (21st overall) and claimed the Women’s Masters title with her time of 44:37. Erin Smallwood of Somerville was third (30th) in 47:21.
Dane Ard of Decatur was second overall behind Lamp in 34:23. Jermaine Wade of Hazel Green was third in 34:42 and won Men’s Masters honors.
Proceeds benefited the Community Free Clinic. The Spirit of America 5-Mile run has a storied history, with records dating back 20 years on the River City Runners site. The race is well-organized, has a fast and flat course, and attracts a nice field despite the summer heat. The route started near the old Point Mallard ice rink and skirted the golf course out to the main road for a turnaround. It then returned on a trail along the Tennessee River to the finish. It was slightly different from 2023 due to construction on the old ice rink site.
Temperatures were in the 80s with energy-sapping humidity of more than 70 percent during the race. A heat advisory was issued by noon for the area.
The River City Runners will be at the Freedom 5k at McFarland Park in Florence next Saturday. The next local race is Brothers for Life 5K at Jack Allen Park on Aug. 10 and then the Bill Dukes 7 @ 7 on Aug. 24.
See all of the Spirit of America 5K results here, and all of the Age Group results here.
